Detentions With The Professor
by LooneyLovey
Summary: "You should know what to do by now Miss Granger." In the process of updating/revising 07/07/12.
1. The Pseudo Detention

**Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, and various other publishers. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.**

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She stared at her potion; it was perfect, it was the right shade, and she had followed the instructions to the letter. But, she knew that this meant nothing, he would still find a plausible fault.

"Miss Granger," he sneered as he hovered in front of her desk - he looked down his crooked nose at her potion, seemingly dissatisfied.

"That will be five points from Gryffindor and detention, 8 o'clock tonight. Being head girl does not exempt you from trying even slightly with your work. And clean this mess up."

It was a regular thing now, she would get detention, and he would pretend to be furious with her for something she did in class.

Hermione sighed, and began to draw her wand - a raised eyebrow from Snape and a glare told her that magic was not to be used. She grimaced and walked down the back of the room to locate a rag and bucket.

**Dinner at the Great Hall**

"What did you do this time Hermione, you know that every chance he gets to give you a detention, he does, and you just sit here pretending that you are not being unfairly treated!" Harry said with an exasperating sigh.

"I honestly don't know Harry, not this time at least, all the other times he gave me a reason, not this time though. But he's a teacher, what am I supposed to do? He has every right to give detention or dock points..."

Hermione sat down and pulled out her potions textbook, she knew exactly why she had gotten the detention, but she wasn't going to share the reason with Harry.

"I mean every potions lesson you come back with another detention, you never used to get any, not one! I can't understand it, Snape seems to be giving you an even tougher time this year, you would think with the bloody war over he would let up a bit, but NO, full on snarky Professor with greasy hair to boot…" Harry had been focusing on his meal while he spoke, but then he looked up with a frown, "Hermione are you even listening to me?"

She raised her head from her book and gave a curt nod.

"Yes Harry. Professor Snape: snarky, greasy… tough," she mumbled while trying to keep her mind out of the gutter.

Both Harry and Ron had dropped potions when it came to their choices, they would need it to become Aurors, but Harry had once said that the minister that killing Voldemort could get anyone anywhere. All of them could have been in jobs by now, but Hermione had insisted that they all stay in school for their final year.

"You don't even seem fazed by the idea that in five minutes you are going down to that greasy git!" Harry continued, pushing his plate of food away.

Hermione looked up at that comment. Was it really five minutes to eight? If she didn't move now, she may be late ... and he wouldn't like that. Not. One. Bit.

She flew out of her chair and flung herself down the spiral staircase, she ignored the surprised looks of Harry and Ron - and everyone else for that matter.

Hermione was at the door to his classroom, composing herself, in less than a minute. She raised a hand to knock, but he was one-step ahead of her, like always.

"Enter."

A simple command and she could already feel the slight tingle from her head to her toes.

She pushed the door open to find Professor Severus Snape sitting at his desk with essays to mark; his black quill could be heard from across the room, scratching the parchment as he marked some unfortunate student's essay.

"Professor, I have come for my detention."

Her voice didn't betray her, this time.

"You should know what to do by now Miss Granger."

And she did.

She crossed the space between them and placed her hands on his neck, she slowly traced her fingers all the way over his back and round to his chest, before resting them on his shoulders.

"Do get on with it Miss Granger, I haven't got all night you know!"

Although her voice didn't betray her before, his did and she knew that she had him where she wanted him.

"But Professor, you haven't given me any instructions."

She asked while nestling her head in the crook of his neck, she lick a spot of flesh that peeked out from between his high collar robes, and blew on it.

"My..." he paused to clear his throat, while shifting in his chair slightly, "instructions Miss Granger are for you to sit on my lap."

"But, Sir I'm just a student!"

"Do I have to repeat myself Miss Granger?"

He asked knowing the answer already.

"No, Sir."

She moved across to his lap, and sat down.

They stared at each other for what seemed like hours, but in reality, it was only a few minutes.

"Hello Hermione, my love," he said, breaking the silence.


	2. The Problem

**Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, and various other publishers. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.**

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The next morning saw Hermione getting out of her own bed, and stretching like a Cheshire cat. She smiled as she remembered the night before, nothing special had happened, they sat and talked until curfew. Though didn't curfew matter to Hermione, as Head Girl she was allowed to be out of her dorms later than other students, she preferred to get back in time, if anyone caught her and Severus in a less than friendly embrace, questions would be asked.

She thought back to how things were before November, and her smile faded. She hadn't known then, hadn't known what would happen, but she was no seer, as Professor Trelawney kept reminding her. Hermione often saw the lady after school for a bit of friendly advice, but today she couldn't, today she had to go down to the lake.

She had just begun to get dressed when she heard the tell tale scuffling of feet outside her door.

"Hermione," Harry yelled while banging on her door.

"One minute Harry, I'm coming," she yelled back, 'honestly boys' she though while desperately trying to pin her wild mane back.

"Hermione, if you're not out by the count of three..."

But before he could finish his sentence, the door was opened to reveal a very beautiful Hermione Granger. She had changed over the past few months, he noted, she had become a woman; she had curves in all of the right places, and Harry thought, her new look suited her.

"Harry James Potter, threaten me once more, and see if you live to tell the tale!" She brushed past him, knocking him off his balance slightly as she made her way down the stairs.

**Great Hall**

As they entered the hall and sat down, Hermione looked up at the teachers table in the great hall and blushed, Harry looked at her as if she had gone mad; why was she blushing?

"Hermione?"

"Um, yeah one minute Harry." She was doing what she always did at breakfast; working out things in her head, well, that was what Harry thought she was doing, she was really thinking back to the last time she had spent time in Severus's chambers.

As she always did, she reached for the goblet of juice by the side of her plate, only to find that it wasn't there. Strange, she thought, the House Elves always put the goblets on the right side of the plate, why would they change it now? Without giving it anymore conscious thought, she located her goblet and took a sip of her drink.

But it didn't taste right; it had a grainy texture, juice _never _had a 'grainy' texture. Hermione spat the drink out, startling a few of the members of her house, but she didn't care, she didn't feel well. She could feel the colour drain from her face and as she made to move, her back came in contact with a hard body.

"Miss Granger," it was Severus, she breathed a sigh of relief, "come with me, quickly."

As they made their way out of the Great Hall, Severus's mind was abuzz. What had just happened?

"Hermione, how do you feel?" he said when they were out of earshot of the Great Hall.

But she didn't answer, she couldn't. He turned to look at her but she wasn't there, he spotted her form down the other end of the corridor, the same corridor he had just run down.

"Hermione!" he bellowed. Severus raced towards her.

"Hermione," he repeated as he collapsed by her side.

"Can't ... can't breathe," she managed to wheeze. Severus looked at her worriedly.

"Okay, okay, can you- can you lift your arms for me, I'm going to carry you."

"Someone ... sees?" she rasped.

Severus tenderly brushed a stray bit of hair from her face.

"I don't care, you are more important to me than someone seeing at the moment, ready? One, two, three." One the count of three he lifted her from the floor and into his arms, before beginning the journey back to his chambers with his lover in his arms.

She couldn't speak now. Her throat had nearly completely closed off, and as they reached the lower levels of the dungeons, and entered his private chambers, Severus mumbled obscenities under his breath.

He laid her down on the couch, the same couch they had spent many nights talking on, and tore towards his private laboratory to collect a muscle relaxant, by the time he had come back her eyes were half opened, half closed.

He was losing her.

Severus ripped the cork from the bottle and cupped his hands; he would have to rub the potion into her throat, there was no way she could swallow it.

"Hermione, I'm going to have to rub it in on your throat, do you mind?"

Severus knew the answer to the question before it even left his mouth, and from the look of her face, she knew it as well.

He started to rub the muscle relaxant into her throat, and her felt her muscles start to loosen within seconds of his hands touching her skin. But something was wrong. He didn't know what, but it felt wrong, _if_ someone had poisoned her morning drink then this was too easy, a simply muscle relaxant cured it. Why go through so much trouble to induce something akin to an anaphylactic shock?

Her eyes became glazed, and her head lolled to the side of the couch, there **was** something else the matter.

"Hermione!" he yelled before scooping her up into his arms. He carried her over to their bedroom, and placed her gently down on the sheets.

A few diagnostic spells later and his worse fears were confirmed.

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**Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far. :)**


	3. Eternus Dormio

**Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, and various other publishers. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.**

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Severus thought back to a few months ago when his Dark Mark burned, back to the night when his own personal hell began.

"_Rise Severus."_

"_My Lord?" he questioned, not a good thing to do when in the presence of the Dark Lord. _

_It wasn't everyday that the Dark Lord called for him personally, the only time that he had was to punish him severely after failing to retrieve Harry Potter. _

"_Severus, I have called you hear today to ask you to help me make a potion, one that has befuddled some of the most competent people that I know. The potion that I need has to be brewed by a Half-Blood, and as you are a Potions Master who is also a Half-Blood I thought that maybe you could help me?"_

_Which roughly translated into 'either help me, or I will torture you until you die.' _

_He didn't really have a say in the matter, but he couldn't seem too eager to brew the unknown potion, but nor could he seem disinterested. Timing was crucial with the Dark Lord, too early and you win a bout of Crucio, too late, and you just signed your death sentence. _

"_Of course my Lord. I live to serve."_

_The Dark Lord seemed pleased with his answer, and petted the snake that rested its head in his lap. He pointed to the scroll that lay on the table in front of him; Severus picked up the scroll and glanced at the ingredients needed to complete it. The majority of them could not be found in England, but the rest were very expensive. _

"_Any ingredients, equipment, or test subjects that you will need will be provided for you. The potion is called 'Eternus Dormio'."_

_It was Latin, a language which he knew very well. Its basic translation was 'Eternal Slumber' but with the Dark Lord, nothing was ever that simple. _

"_You're very kind my Lord, may I enquire what the potion-"_

_Before he had even finished his sentenced he was down on the floor writhing in agony, the scroll reaching the floor before his body did. The Dark Lord held the spell over him for a few more minutes before cancelling it. _

"_Severus you should know by now when to hold your tongue. But, as I am a kind Lord, I will let you return to that pathetic old fool. Make sure that you update me regularly on what progress you make."_

_He clenched his teeth and hauled himself up off the floor. It wasn't the first time he had been Crucioed, nor would it be his last, but he had not been to see the Dark Lord for a few months (not that he minded) his body was de-conditioned to dealing with the pain that came from the curse. _

"_Yes my Lord."_

_If the Dark Lord got his hands on the potion that he wanted, chaos would ensue. He had to come up with a plan, perhaps a faulty potion - but contrary to popular belief, the Dark Lord was not stupid. He bowed before making his exit out of the Dark Lords company while he tried to come up with a plan. But before he had reached the door, he heard a snake like voice hiss out. _

"_Oh, and Severus, I shall know if you do not make it correctly."_

_His gut clenched uncomfortably. So the Dark Lord was suspicious of his alliance to him. This would make things much more ... interesting. _

_It took him a few weeks but he was able to make the Eternus Dormio that the Dark Lord wanted, and a few more weeks to create an antidote for the Order. The same routine was in place for any potion that the Dark Lord wanted; if he brewed it, he had to make an antidote for it. Some of the antidotes were harder to make than others; requiring obscure ingredients that could only be found in certain climates, or were horribly overpriced. But some were fairly easy to make, only taking up and hour or two of his time. _

After the Dark Lord's demise he had gotten rid of everything to do with the Eternus Dormio potion, all of his notes were burned, and anyone who knew of the potion apart from himself and Dumbledore were either silence to secrecy, or oblitivated. They had covered their tracks well, leaving no trace of foul play to the oblitivated party and no loose ends ... apart from one potion that sat in a secured vault in his private storeroom in his personal lab in his chambers. The potion was the only remaining antidote to the Eternus Dormio that the Dark Lord had requested that he brewed. As he only made one vial of Eternus Dormio, he had figured that only one antidote would be needed, as it was basically impossible to duplicate the original potion made for the Dark Lord without needing extensive notes, and a mastery in potions. Not something that the Dark Lord or, to his knowledge, any of his know followers possessed.

The potion was protected by enchantments, and spells so powerful that should another Dark Lord rise from the ashes, then it would take him, or her, at least twenty minutes to bypass the wards that surrounded the door, and then another ten to figure out how to open the door. He had used elements of different muggle systems to create a blood recognition system combined with fingerprints that immediately granted him access, he had also managed to work his magical signature into the process, but because he was who he was there was a catch. As well as magical signature, blood and fingerprint recognition there was also a password that protected the potions in the vault and because the system was so ... muggle, not many people would know what to do when faced with a electronic scanner, and hypodermic needle. The password was something that people would not automatically connect with him; it was something more along the lines of Dumbledore's lemon drop addled brain thinking.

Severus made his way into his chambers in record time, and then walked over to the storeroom that was connected to his private brewing lab. The scanner and needle appeared, and he placed his finger on the pad to be scanned. A sharp prick in his skin later and he was mumbling his password that would allow him entry into his vault.

"_L'amour guérit tout."_

The door swung open and he looked at the shelves of antidotes and precious potions that were too valuable to throw away, with something akin to disdain. The majority of the antidotes were due to the Dark Lords obsession with taking over with the Pureblood race, and the rest were potions used to torture innocent victims. The potions were mainly kept for his own private research but some were used by the Ministry on former Death Eaters or criminals that would not comply with the Ministers way of thinking.

There was also another reason that he only made one antidote to Eternus Dormio, and that was because the clear glass vial that potion also held something else.

That something else was a small fraction of him; it was part of his magical signature.

**Hermione**

She was running through a forest of thick trees when she saw it. It was a light so bright, she had to shield her eyes with her hand from the glare. A fleeting though passed through her mind that it was quite ironic that she would see light when she was about to die.

Muggles always said not to go into the light, advice that she was now going to follow. As she walked away from the light, she noticed that the glare became less intense; she lowered her hand and watched the light fade when she felt a shooting pain in her hand. She looked down at it but she couldn't believe the sight that greeted her. Her fingers were gone, and her palm was slowly becoming translucent.


	4. The Kiss of The Soul

**Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, and various other publishers. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.**** Nor do I own any of Jane Austen's novels from which I took quotes.**

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Severus snatched the bottle from where it sat and entered his bedroom. He saw Hermione lying on his bed and thought back to last night. They had been sitting on his bed, laughing about the mishaps which had happened in yesterday's potions lessons, and how stupid the new batch of 'dunderheads' seemed to be. He had also been telling her about a potion symposium that had been planning to take her to, but now he didn't know if she would survive the night.

"Severus." Her eyes were closed but faint words passed her lips. It gave him hope.

The Eternus Dormio that he had created for the Dark Lord drained a person's magical energy and then it would eventually erase the mind. The pain from the potion was meant to be excruciating, he knew this as he had seen the damage done to the test subjects. But, as he was one of the best Potions Masters of the era, he had created a loophole. Eternus Dormio had a ten-minute delay in which the antidote could be given, but the ten minutes were almost up.

Like all good conundrums, there was a catch, because the Dark Lord was who he was – a paranoid megalomaniac with masochistic tendencies - there was only one way for it to be administered, and that way was to be administered by a kiss. But, it was not just _any _kiss; it was The Kiss of the Soul.

The Kiss of the Soul was a kiss that bonded two people together, for life and for death. The Dark Lord had some insane idea that if he ever did _accidentally_ ingest the potion, then the boy-who-lives-to-be-a-pain-in-the-neck would administer it. Severus didn't believe it for a second, but the Dark Lord was adamant that if that day ever happened, Potter would administer it.

The Kiss, once initiated, could not be stopped and he knew that he didn't have a choice; it was either The Kiss, or death for Hermione, and the second option wasn't a choice.

He glanced at her hand and had to look once again to make sure that his eyes weren't playing tricks on them; her hand was fading. He knew that the potion worked fast, but he made it and he knew this wasn't supposed to happen. It was made to drain the magical energy first, and then the physical energy – the body. This was happening in reverse order, it wasn't right!

"Severus ... help."

Her voice was getting weaker and he mentally berated himself for just standing there. Severus crossed the distance that separated them and lifted her mouth up to meet his; they were inches apart when he remembered to uncork the potion bottle. He poured half of it into her mouth and half in to his, and kissed her.

**Hermione**

She looked down at her hand again but this time, she saw no hand. She brought the other hand up and saw that it was starting to fade and started to panic. The light was nearly out, and the darkness was starting to consume her.

Pain shot through every nerve in her body; it was worse than Cruciatus.

Hermione thought she heard a voice call out to her, but she shook her head, ridding herself of the silly notion, and regretted the decision straight after, as pain shot through her every fibre of her being.

"Hermione."

The voice was real, or as real as it could get with it being inside of her mind, her consciousness. As the pain started to fade away, she heard the voice again and looked up.

Severus was dresses in white, and he was floating down towards her. He reminded her of an angle. Angel Severus; it was all quite ridiculous really she mused.

"Hermione, take my hand."

She couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of it all; it was extremely corny, like something shown at a muggle cinema. She started to lift the hand that wasn't hadn't vanished, but as she did pain tore through her body, making her cry at the shear intensity of it.

Hermione felt a hand move towards the back of her head, and felt another caress her cheek, brushing her tears away. She smiled as she saw Severus; everything was going to be okay.

"Hermione, I need to kiss you." he mumbled, feeling the urge to complete the bond he had instigated. Though he was already kissing her, it was the kiss inside the mind that sealed The Kiss of The Soul.

When he had entered her mind, he saw her floating in the middle of a darkening room, and he could only guess that the light fading around her was her physical energy. He peered past the darkening light and saw a door; Severus guessed that through that door he would find her magical energy, thankfully the edges around the door still shone brightly.

A nod of her head signalled her response. His lips sealed around hers and he felt the bound taking hold of them both. He didn't know how long they kissed for, and it felt like an eternity before he felt a tug at his navel pulling him back to the present.

~.~

Hermione's eyes fluttered open to see Severus looming above her, his mouth inches from hers. She felt a tingling in her hand and peered past his body to look at it; her hand was back to normal.

"Hermione, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

To say she was shocked was an understatement; she looked up at him, puzzled by his reaction.

"Severus, what have you got to be sorry for?" she asked, not quite sure why he was apologising.

"The only way for me to save you ... was to perform The Kiss of the Soul."

He looked away from her and he was about to move away when he felt a small hand wrap itself around his own.

"It's okay Severus. When are you going to get over the fact that I love you and that I do want to spend the rest of my life with you?"

Severus looked down at the amazing young witch before him. He smiled. It was a rare sight, but this occasion called for it.

"Never."

He their lips met in a frantic struggle for dominance, before eventually coming up for air.

Hermione looked at his face and saw the usual changes start to take place: his face hardened and he wore the expression that he always wore before telling her that they could not be together. She had enough experience with him to know what was coming.

"Don't. Please, just don't."

She tried to get up, but fell back against the bed, too weak to move.

"Hermione-"

But, he was cut off by an angry tirade of words coming from her mouth.

"What are you going to tell me now? That I'm too young, or that you're my teacher? For Christ's sake Severus, were engaged to be married! We have their consent and they already knew before we even told them! And before you say anything else did you forget about the fact that I love you, and I'm sure I _have _told you that before, and more than once if I remember rightly."

She paused to take a breath, and Severus took the chance to say, "I wasn't going to say that, I was going to say, if you had given me a chance, is that I need to find out who did this to you, no that's wrong, to us."

"Oh Severus, I'm sorry, I thought..." she trailed off, abashed at her rash behaviour.

"I know what you thought you had every right to say those things. I have always tried to persuade you that I wasn't good enough for you Hermione. You deserve someone who is better me, but of course you never listened to me, and I guess all that is left for me to say, you have bewitched me, body and soul, and I love ... I love ... I love you."

Hermione was crying again, but this time she was crying because she was happy. Severus had never told her that before, not even when he had proposed to her. He had made such a mess of the proposal that _he_ even blushed, but she had said that it was more romantic that he messed it, because she knew that for Severus Snape to mess something up, it had to be sincere.

"Hermione, I never meant to make you cry."

"I'm not crying because I'm sad, I'm crying because I'm happy, very happy," she said as tears ran down her face.

"I still managed to mess it up though, like the engagement...," he trailed off, remembering how embarrassed he had felt, his ego still bruised from that day.

_Hermione came down to his chambers after her last lesson of the day, and meekly knocked on the door to his private chambers._

"_Albus, I swear to god that I am not going to get anymore roses and I also won't tell you-"_

_He stopped mid-sentence when he saw who was at the door._

"_Hermione."_

_The shock was evident in her voice and he prayed to some deity above that she hadn't heard what he had said. But, by the look on her face, she had._

"_Hermione," he said again, his voice was filled with uncertainty._

"_Severus." _

_She pushed past him, interested to know what he had been on about, only to be met by the smell of twelve dozen roses._

"_What is this?" she asked._

_Severus shifted uncomfortably on the spot. _

"_For you," he said, pointing at the roses in the vase. _

_Hermione had to stifle a laugh, he looked so uneasy! _

"_Not funny," he mumbled._

"_Oh Severus, why don't you use words with more than two syllables and tell me what's going on?" _

_He grumbled slightly at her patronising tone, and she smiled in response. _

"_It's for you. All of it is."_

_Hermione took a moment to look around the rest of the room. Severus Snape was not a romantic man by any stretch of the imagination, but the room in front of her screamed to the contrary. _

_The fireplace had been lit, the embers crackled, and the flames danced to a silenced rhythm. A table for two had been set up; candles decorating the short distance between the wooden chairs and on one of the two plates lay a white rose. _

"_Severus, what's all this?"_

_He took three, small, uncertain steps towards her. _"_Hermione Granger, will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?"_

_She stood rooted to the spot, her mouth opening, and closing before she eventually found her voice._

"_Yes."_

_It was his turn to be shocked. Severus looked into her eyes and saw the tears fall from her eyes which reflected the glow from the fireplace. _

"Y_es."_

_From his pocket, Severus took a small velvet box, the same box he had carried around with him for weeks before finally summoning the courage to put his plan into action. Inside the box nestled a 9ct white gold eternity ring with five small diamonds woven into the band. _

_After he had slipped the ring onto her finger, he brought her palm up to his hand and placed a gentle, lingering kiss onto it. Just as he was about to kiss her wrist he felt her other hand lift his face up to her own, he briefly saw the joy glistening in her eyes before they sealed their engagement with a kiss. _

Severus was snapped back to reality by Hermione pulling out the chain that the necklace was hung on for him to see. She undid the clasp that held the necklace and took the ring off the chain; she then opened his palm and placed the ring on it.

The ring he had given her had to be kept on a chain because if she wore it on display it would have caused too many questions. He had once suggested that the ring could be disillusioned on her finger and the spell removed when she had graduated. But that idea was quickly abolished when he spent the night alone. He had grovelled for days for her forgiveness and she finally agreed. She thought that he was ashamed of their engagement, but he wasn't, he was just being cautious.

"Hermione," his voice held a warning she had rarely heard before, but she ignored it, she only smiled and held out her left hand.

"Severus, I know you and I know that ever since the day you proposed to me, your ego has been bruised and you don't look back on that day with happiness, only embarrassment. So, ask me again. It's the perfect time; you've just rescued my soul by sacrificing yours, and I'm yours if you will have me. It's one of those perfect, cliché, romantic moment if you think about it."

There was a moment's pause as he fiddled with the engagement ring which had up until now lived on a necklace around her neck, she was right, though when was she never? This was the perfect, clichéd moment.

"Hermione Granger, will you marry me?"

She smiled.

"Yes."


	5. Suspicions

**Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, and various other publishers. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.**

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Even though he had already proposed to her, he smiled at the wonder of it all; he was going to marry Hermione Jean Granger.

She looked at the man before her and smiled in amusement how did she, the lonely bookworm, get to be engaged to the man in front of her.

"You do realise that if we are absent for any longer then someone will come looking for us?"

"Yes, but I want this time alone with you at the moment, my fiancé." He decided that he liked the sound of it and was determined it use the word more often. Fiancé, she was his fiancée.

"Severus, what part of people will come looking for us do you not understand?"

"All of it?"

He grinned cheekily and she wacked him on his chest. She smirked at his playfulness; he didn't do this often enough.

"Ten minutes?" he asked.

He looked at her, and gave her what she guessed he thought what an adoring puppy look was, but it came across as more of a grimace, which really didn't work on her.

"Five," she replied.

"You know that I am not that fast Hermione," he said while pulling her close and placing a kiss on her brow.

She pushed him back to arms length and retorted, "Well, what about last week in the corridor? I seem to remember that you didn't even take five minutes."

"With what you were doing to me witch, and with what you did in the classroom, I don't think any self respecting man would last more than four."

He saw the blush spread rapidly across her cheeks and a sudden warmth enveloped him. He truly loved her. He realised that for the first time in his life that he wanted to make someone happy, he wanted to make her happy. Severus smiled at the thought, if people could see him now; fearless bat of the dungeons nearly brought to his knees by the blush of a woman, but not just any woman, his woman.

"Hm, self-respecting did you say?"

"Yes." He smirked in amusement and a look of mischievousness crossed her face.

"Self-respecting?" she repeated, "well, what about when I was lying on top of your desk naked?"

This time it was Severus that blushed.

"Then there was that time on the second floor, and-"

He covered her mouth with his hand.

"Point made."

She gave him an impish smirk, and pulled her close again. Severus could see that she was winning the battle of wills that was going on between them.

"I suppose that they won't miss me for ten minutes," she said, and let herself relax fully into his arms.

**Outside The Hospital Wing**

Ron, Harry, and Ginny were all pacing outside the Hospital Wing, they hadn't had courage to ask Madame Pomfrey if she was there as they had all been on the matron's bad side once and none of them were willing to get on it again.

"Were could she be?" Harry asked, growing more impatient by the minute.

"I don't know, we all saw Snape take her somewhere," Ron answered, scratching the back of his neck. It was a nervous habit which he had picked up sometime during their third year.

"The greasy bat probably took her to his dungeons to kill her and then dispose of the body," Harry muttered, his hatred overtaking his rationality for the moment. He clenched his hand into a fist and hit his other palm with it, trying to alleviate some of his anger.

Ginny rolled her eyes at the gesture. Men, she thought.

"Harry, how many times has Dumbledore told you that Snape is on our side?"

"Doesn't matter, I still don't trust him."

His paces quickened and Ginny and Ron didn't bother making the effort to match his pace. They both knew that once he got started on Snape, he wouldn't stop until at least one of them agreed with him.

Ron decided to try to nip the impending argument in the bud and tried to resolve the problem by agreeing with his sister.

"She's right mate, I mean he has told us over a hundred times now, so perhaps we should trust him."

Harry stared at his best friend in shock.

"So you are agreeing with _her _now."

He pointed at finger at her and stopped his pacing. Ginny could see that it was going to get ugly fast and decided that a diversion was in order.

"Harry, have you forgotten the reason that we are here?"

At his blank look, she continued, "Hermione, remember, she fainted in the Great Hall?"

Before he had the chance to answer, Madame Pomfrey came bustling out of the Infirmary doors.

"What in heaven's name are you all doing here, if I remember correctly lessons are about to start, are they not?"

They stared guiltily at the floor.

"I see," she looked at them disapprovingly "up to Dumbledore's office then, all three of you. I shall tell him that I'm sending you up. I expect you to be there, and if you are not I shall have you scrubbing at the bedpans until your arms drop off."

"Yes Madame Pomfrey," they answered in unison.

They looked abashed when each of them met her steely gaze.

"Go."

She turned on her heal and left and the three students racing toward Dumbledore's office, knowing that the Mediwitch wasn't joking.

**Dumbledore's office.**

They arrived out of breath and slightly red in the face. Ron looked at Ginny, they both knew that something was going on with Hermione, they had known for a while; the late night meetings and glazed eyes gave it away. But Harry, Harry seemed in a world of his own half the time, lost in his own madness, so it wasn't surprising that he hadn't noticed anything about his best friend.

The gargoyle leapt aside and they all jumped.

"So I guess that we had better go up then," Ron said, scratching at the back of his neck again.

"Yeah," Harry answered, wondering why both the Weasley twins were looking at him strangely.

Ginny made her way towards the staircase and looked behind her; both boys were standing awkwardly next to each other, head down. She just shook her head in amusement.

"Are you coming, or are you both going to stand there looking like idiots?"

The both looked up at the same time.

"Coming," they answered.


	6. A Simple Act of Kindness

**This chapter is not for the little kiddies. You have been warned!**

**Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, and various other publishers. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.**

* * *

He started to kiss her languidly on the mouth, before peppering small kisses across her neck and chest.

"Severus," she moaned, "if you keep that up we'll be late."

"Then I supposed we'll just have to be late then, won't we? For I have every intention of devouring you, my dear fiancé, and taking my time in doing so."

Hermione grinned at him, "Well, if that's the case you won't hear any complaints from me."

Severus covered her mouth with his own to ensure her silence and ran a hand up her thigh. His hand brushed faintly over her skirt-clad sex and slipped under her shirt. With little effort, he managed to push her shirt up far enough that the lace trim of her bra was on display to him.

"My, my, Miss Granger, lace? Who'd have thought the Gryffindor Princess would wear such a risqué piece of underwear?"

Before she could respond, he ripped open her shirt, too eager to waste time with undoing all of the buttons.

"Severus! If you carry on like that I'll have no shirts left to wear."

"I'm not going to complain if that happens."

"You might if other guys see me without a shirt," she said, amusement clouding her tone.

A sudden wave of possessiveness overtook and he claimed her lips in a searing kiss, his hands twisted themselves in her hair, binding her to him with a simple action.

"You are _mine _and _mine_ alone, do you hear me?"

She kissed him back with equal fervour.

"Yes," she said when they parted for air.

He claimed her lips once more, and returned his wandering hands to her chest. Too impatient to undo the bra, he pulled the cups down, her breasts framed by the lace. His mouth sought out a nipple, and he began biting and sucking until it was a taught peak, before moving his attentions over to the other side.

"Severus," she moaned, her mind lost in a lust induced fog.

He didn't stop, if anything the sound of her voice drove him crazy. His mouth left her nipple and kissed its way down towards her sex. Severus tugged her skirt of with wild abandon, tearing it slightly, only managing to push it past her knees. Hermione kicked it off the rest of the way, freeing her legs from the stuffy material and wrapped them around his torso, effectively stopping his journey downwards.

"Hermione?" she said, the question lingering in the air.

"We've never ... that is to say ..."

"We don't have to, I can stop if you're too weak, or you don't want me to."

"No, gods no, I just, I've never ..."

"You've never had someone lick you until you cum?"

Even though they had been intimate more times than he could count, he could still make her blush with words of a less than innocent nature.

"No," she answered, her cheeks rosy.

"Would you like me to?"

Hermione gave him a shy smile, not willing to voice the words aloud.

"One day, my dear, I will get you to say those words; you'll be begging me to lick you until you cum."

She giggled in response, and covered her mouth with her hand, eliciting a chuckle from him.

"But not today it seems."

Her legs loosened their hold around his torso, and Severus took it as permission to continue. His mouth kissed the fabric covering her, while his fingers hooked around the lace which kept her sex from him. With two gentle pulls, her sex was free from its lacy confines and bare to him, and with a wave of his hand he vanished the lacy garment from sight. He kissed the apex of her thighs to get her used to the sensation.

"That okay love?"

His breath was warm against her thigh.

"Yes," she mumbled, all coherent thought lost from her mind.

He rubbed a finger against her newly exposed clit, and then alternated between sucking and blowing on it. After a few rounds of licking and sucking, he gently inserted a finger into her dripping wet core.

"All wet for me my dear."

She hummed in response.

Severus pumped his finger in and out of her core a few times before inserting another, stretching her slightly. He could feel her body start to respond to his actions; her hips started to move of their own accord and her hands fisted in his hair. Her breathing became husky and her chest rose slightly off the bed.

He lapped at her sex, savouring the taste he found there, mindful not to leave any part of it unworshipped. After a few more pumps of his hand he could hear her breathing becoming quicker and quicker and knew that she wasn't going to last much longer. Severus slipped another finger into her dripping core and pumped that little bit faster. Her movements become more erratic and her grip became tighter. With one final bite of her clit, she came undone, and thrust her face up to meet his mouth, demanding that he lick her juices.

When her grip had loosened and her hips lay still, he lifted his head and met her gaze, his face shining slightly with her juices.

"That was," she breathed, "amazing. Thank you."

"We're not through yet," came his reply.

He kissed his way up her body, stopping briefly to gently bite her nipples.

"Severus, if you don't stop that and kiss me properly on the lips, we'll be finishing this with you having a case of blue balls."

"Very well my dear," he said, before pecking her on the lips.

"Severus," she groaned, "properly."

"Oh, you mean like this?"

He covered her lips with his own, licking her bottom lip, silently asking for permission. Her lips parted and he caressed her tongue with his, all the while struggling with remove his trousers and the underwear that kept his sex from hers. Petite hands slithered down his body to meet his own and fumbled with the belt buckle they found there. Within seconds, they had managed to free his erection from its cotton constraints and her hands grasped his shaft, stroking it gently.

"If you keep doing that then I'm afraid you'll have a mess on your hands. Literally," he chuckled.

As soon as he had finished speaking her hands had stilled.

"Well, we wouldn't want that now, would we?" she whispered, her breath tickling his ear.

Severus moved his own hand down to position his erection against her core.

"Ready?"

She kissed him in response, her tongue stroking his. With little resistance, he pushed into her waiting core and felt her walls clench around him.

"God, you feel so good."

"Mm, make love to me Severus. Help to me to forget for a little while."

"Whatever you wish love," he said, before starting to move slowly in and out of her.

Hermione felt him slip inside of her so slowly that she almost came from the satisfaction of being filled. Her eyes slipped shut and her hands circled around his back to stop him from moving, he looked at her questionably.

"I want to feel you inside me for a moment longer, give me a little while."

He smiled at her demand, sometimes she did this, and he loved her all the more for doing it.

Her eyes opened, giving him silent permission to continue. Severus supported himself on his elbows and thrust into her core.

"More, Severus, more."

His hand reached down between them to find her clit and he started to rub it, while her hands wove themselves in his hair, bringing his mouth closes to hers. Hermione could feel his breath on her check, tickling her face, his head dipped down to her jugular, and bit at the supple skin at the base of her neck, sending her over the edge for a second time. Their connection intensified the feelings of lust and love so much that he followed soon after, emptying his need into her.

They stayed joined together kissing languorously for over ten minutes when the school bell rang to signal the end of first lesson.

"You have to go," he said reluctantly. "Dumbledore will want answers and you can't be here when he comes through the Floo."

But it was too late for that, he fireplace roared to life and they both heard the voice of the Headmaster.

"Severus, Hermione, you are needed up in my office, when you are decent that is."

Although they couldn't see his face, they both knew that the twinkle in his eyes was more prominent than ever.

"I suppose we had better move then," he said while slipping out of her core and moving off the bed, beginning the search for clean clothes. Hermione copied his movements and started to look around for her clothes, but found them nowhere to be seen.

"You ruined my clothes Severus, I have nothing to wear," she said, exasperated.

"You ruined my clothes with your nimble hands Hermione, and I have a few spares."

Hermione stared at him in astonishment.

"Since when did you start keep my clothes here?" She asked, the confusion clear on her face.

"Since I started to vanish them, I asked Dobby to bring down a few things; clothes, toiletries, that sort of stuff a while ago."

Her eyes filled with tears, she was always emotional after making love, but this was the cherry on the cake. Apart from the re-engagement, it was the most thoughtful thing that he had done for her.

"Thank you." Her eyes shone with gratitude and she kissed him with as much passion that she could muster.

"If you carry on like that, Albus will know something is _up_."

She laughed.

"I suppose you right, well off to solve the mystery of the poisoned drink then."

His face hardened as he remembered the reason for the whole debacle.

"Severus," she could see what was happening and almost felt sorry for the culprit, but the feeling was immediately squashed when she remembered the pain she had felt. She felt no remorse for the person who had caused Severus and herself so much grief and torment.

"We had better get dressed." With that, he disappeared into the bathroom, she knew that he needed time; after all, she had nearly been killed by the potion. If her gut was right, which it normally was, he knew what potion it was.

She was clasping her bra when she got the feeling that she was being watched.

"Severus?"

She turned round and met his gaze.

"Yes?"

He was leaning on the doorframe with a small smile on his face. Her next question would remove any trace of the humour in the smile.

"Do you know who created the potion?"


	7. The Headmaster's Office Part I

**Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, and various other publishers. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.**

* * *

_Previously:_

"_Severus?"_

_She turned round and met his gaze._

"_Yes?"_

_He was leaning on the doorframe with a small smile on his face. Her next question would remove any trace of the humour in the smile._

"_Do you know who created the potion?"_

He walked over to his wardrobe, trying in vain to find something to occupy himself with instead of answering her question.

"Albus is waiting for us Hermione, it will have to wait until later."

Had he turned round he would have seen the confusion and hurt that marred her features. That's odd, she thought, he's never brushed me off like that before.

"You didn't answer my question Severus, but I guess you not doing so has answered it for me." She turned away from him and reached for her wand which sat on his bedside table, with a flick of her wrist she was fully dressed.

"Hermione, it's none of your business and you're not strong enough to use magic yet!" he yelled.

They could both feel the clench of her heart which left them breathless. Neither of them mentioned anything about it, choosing to ignore what had just happened instead.

"Very well then. We really shouldn't keep Albus waiting." They both knew that the smile that rested gently on her lips was fake, but for the sake of keeping up the charade, that nothing was wrong, the smile stayed there, mocking him.

She turned on her heel and left him with his back against the door. A walk would clear her head, that she was sure of.

~.~

The sound of the door shutting echoed through his entire chambers. She had left. He had made her leave; it was his entire fault. If he had only told her the truth instead of avoiding the question then she might have stayed, he thought hopelessly.

For once in his life, Severus Snape snarky git extraordinaire, didn't know what to do. He punched the wall beside him and smiled grimly when felt the pain course through his body.

The Floo roared to life and a voice drifted through the fireplace.

"Severus? Hermione? Are you there?"

The Headmasters always seemed to have impeccable timing.

"What do you want, you old fool?" he snarled, not in the mood to deal with him and one of his tales today.

The sound of whooshing greeted him and he cursed, the man always stuck his nose where it didn't belong. He could hear the bumbling old coot brushing the soot from his robes and fumbling around in his pockets for a Lemon Drop.

"Albus," he growled dressing himself with a slight flick of his wrist, "what gives you the right to come through my Floo?"

By this point he had forgotten that Albus had called them both up to his office and entered his living room to find the Headmaster standing on his carpet with a sombre look upon his face, he was just looking for an easy target to yell at.

"Severus it is imperative that you and Hermione come up to my office right away to do some ... damage control."

He could still feel her pain through their bond and the pain got rid of any anger that he felt. He flexed his hand and found to his displeasure that he had not broken any bones, shame, he thought. It would have served him right for hurting her.

"Damage control? Why would we need to do damage control?"

"Have you forgotten the fact that Miss Granger has not been seen since this morning in the Great Hall people are becoming suspicious Severus, her friends are up in my office asking me where she is and wondering if you have killed her and disposed of her body."

"I would _never_ do such a thing!" he protested vehemently.

"I know that Severus, believe me I do, but they do not." He looked around the room, "Where is Hermione anyway? We need to decide what we are going to do."

"We argued. She ... left." He fell into the seat beside him and ran his hands over his face. Dumbledore looked down at the man in front of him, he had gone through so much for someone so young.

"She will come back to you Severus; in fact I have no doubt in my mind that she has figured it out already ... such a clever girl is Miss Granger."

"That she is Albus, but this time her cleverness is what I'm afraid of."

~.~

A cold wind blew past her and she shivered. Normally she found peace in roaming the cold dungeons in the dark, where no noise could be heard, but this time it was just plain creepy. Part of her knew that whatever misdeed he had done, whatever crime he had committed she would accept as part of him ... as long as he told her. If he kept things from her, if he refused to tell her something that affected both of them, then that was where they would have problems.

As soon as she had walked away from his chamber door, she had realised that leaving him to brood was the worst thing to do, but she needed time to digest what she had just figured out. He had basically just told her that he had created the potion, but she was no fool. Hermione knew that he had created it under _his_ reign and that he had had no choice in the matter. That was why she left, she knew that ad he saw the pity in her eyes he would hate her even more that he probably did now.

Without realising it she had ended up outside the stone gargoyle, a small smile rested on her lips; this was where she needed to be. There was no doubt in her mind that Severus was there, Albus had probably gone to get him by now.

"Candy Floss." Why the Headmasters had a fondness for Muggle sweets she would never know, but as she stepped onto the spiral staircase, she knew that a talk about his past was a conversation they could avoid no longer.

The door opened by itself and she was greeted by the sight of Severus sitting in a chair in one side of the room and her three friends stood by Dumbledore's desk. Her confusion must have shown on her face as he then gestured for her to come and sit down in the seat next to Severus then fished around in his pockets for a Lemon Drop.

"Sit down my dear. There is much to discuss."

~.~

Albus Dumbledore had only very few relationships in his life, but to his colleague he could offer no advice, no words of support nor could he say that everything would get better because things were about to get considerably much worse than what they were at this very moment.

"Severus, we need to go."

The man wearily looked up into the Headmasters eyes.

"Whatever you say Albus."

They both made their way towards the fireplace and all the Headmaster could do to offer any comfort was grasp the young man's shoulder, and wish him luck with the journey that lay ahead of them both.

~.~

"There he is!"

Harry Potter had done many stupid things in his life, chasing after Voldemort and driving a flying car were only a few of them, so really, drawing his wand on a wizard who was ten times more powerful than he was shouldn't have come as a shock to anyone.

Ron and Ginny started at him in confusion, _what_ was he doing?

The man who the wand was pointed at ignored the black headed child, and sat in a chair furthest away from him. He sat hunched over and his face taught.

Albus Dumbledore stepped through the flood and surveyed the sight before him.

"Now, now Harry. Wand away ... better yet _Accio wand._"

Harry looked outraged that his wand had been taken off him. His facial expression mirrored a fish on dry land gasping for air, but they were all distracted from that sight when the creaking of the door alerted them all to the fact that the last member of their little gathering had arrived. She wore a confused expression on her face and Dumbledore took pity on her, he gestured to the chair by her lover and fumbled around in his pockets for a Lemon Drop.

"Sit down my dear. There is much to discuss."


	8. The Headmaster's Office Part II

**Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, and various other publishers. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.**

**AN: I also want to thank** **Kathryn's NomDePlume** **for telling me of a continuity error, if anyone does find them please tell me and I will correct them. **

* * *

_Previously:_

_Harry looked outraged that his wand had been taken off him. His facial expression mirrored a fish on dry land gasping for air, but they were all distracted from that sight when the door creaking of the door alerted them all to the fact that the last member of their little gathering had arrived. She wore a confused expression on her face and Dumbledore took pity on her, he gestured to the chair by her lover and fumbled around in his pockets for a Lemon Drop._

_"Sit down my dear. There is much to discuss."_

The phrase 'you could cut the tension with a knife' came unbidden into Hermione's mind when everyone had managed to get somewhat comfortable. Three people stood by a wall, each of them staring at the man sitting in the chair. One person was looking for the elusive lemon drop and she and Severus sat in the two chairs Albus had provided for them. Severus had his head bowed and Hermione was wringing her hands nervously. She tried reaching out for him, to let him know he wasn't alone but he ignored her hand. He didn't see the flash of hurt that crossed her features, in fact the only thing he saw were the lines on his hands. But they both felt their chests tighten a little at his refusal to acknowledge her hand.

"I must have a hole in my pocket...," Dumbledore said, scratching his long silvery beard and looked gravely at the people around him. "That was my last lemon drop."

**Severus P.O.V **

A lemon drop. A lemon drop. The old man was more worried about his lemon drops than why were in this God forsaken office in the first place! The lines in my hand are actually quite interesting, I wonder why I never - stop it man, remember the situation at hand ... Hermione, remember. Need to calm down Severus, need to calm down.

"Albus!" I roared. I have _never _raised my voice at the Headmaster but my patience was wearing thin.

"Yes Severus?" He looked at me questioningly, as if I had all the answers to all the questions no one had even asked yet.

I longed for the bottle of Ogden's back in my chambers or at the very least Hermione in my bed, but no. We are all sat here waiting for the miserable old coot to find a blasted lemon drop. At least I knew why he wanted them. It wasn't a very well known fact but the old coot's lemon drops were laced with a type of sedative, one that was undetectable. Being Headmaster certainly took its toll on the old man and every month without fail he would come down to my office asking for more of the treats, oh he knew what they contained all right; he was the one that asked for them. Which is why we are all sitting here waiting for him to find a lemon drop. We all have faults, Albus likes his sedative-laced lemon drops, I was a Death Eater, and Hermione ... is a Know-It-All.

Hermione. The one person with whom I have shared my heart willingly. The one person whom I preformed the Kiss of The Soul with, the one person whom I love.

"Severus ... Severus?" I could hear him calling my name but I didn't want to see the revulsion that would surely be in her eyes. That was the only emotion for her logically to feel in this situation ... I nearly killed her, I nearly killed her. It hurt to think about it, it was something that-

"Severus!" My head jerked up at the sound of his voice, which was when I saw her. There was no revulsion, or disgust marring her features, but pity and, no. It wasn't possible. Could it be ... acceptance?

**Hermione's P.O.V**

His thinking face, he was wearing his thinking face. When he pulled away from my touch, I know that it shouldn't have come as a shock that he would most probably be repulsed by my touch but it still hurt. Literally. Which thinking about it was something we had both felt down in his chambers. I might have to do a bit of research into that later but for now, this needed to be cleared up.

I tried to show him that what happened didn't matter; it wasn't as though he had turned his wand on me. I saw his eyebrows rise slightly and I knew he'd seen what I was trying to convey to him without words.

"Yes Albus," his voice sounded gruff and he looked no better. I heard Fawkes trilling a few notes in the background and felt the effects instantly. From the looks of it everyone did. I gave the bird a small smile and it bowed its head at me. Fawkes looks so tired nowadays; I wonder when his burning day is?

**General P.O.V.**

Albus Dumbledore was a man on a mission, and his mission was to smooth the current situation over and try to appease everyone. Not an easy task. He walked over to his desk and was pleased to find in the top draw was a bowl full of lemon drops. Like a child in a candy store, his eyes lit up and he ate the delectable sweet, feeling the effects of the sedative wash over him immediately. Albus took his seat and looked at the people that surrounded him. They had all been hurt by the war, but none of them as much as Severus had.

"It is my belief that Harry has something to say in regards to why we are all here today. Don't you Harry?"

His eyes did not twinkle and that was how Harry knew he was in trouble, big trouble. But, it did not matter to the boy who lived, his opinions on what had happened would be heard, even if it took hurting his best friend to do so.

"As a matter of fact I do."

The Headmasters office was not small but to Hermione it felt as though the room had just shrunk. Her heart pounded wildly in her chest and she felt as though she was about to be sick. It all hit her. She had nearly been killed, someone had used Severus's potion against her and tried to kill her. She couldn't breathe. The room was too small. She had to get out. She tore from her seat and threw open the door.

Before the boy who lived had even opened his mouth to say what he felt on the matter, Hermione ran out of the door. No one except Dumbledore had seen the pallor of her face nor had they seen how badly her hands shook before she had left. Which was why when the door bounced against its frame the only thing that could be heard was Severus's laboured breathing and the sound of her feet running away, and in Severus's mind running away from him?

"She's gone." The two words were only whispered but they were loud enough for everybody to hear.

"Severus-"

"No Albus, she has finally seen me for what I am ... a murdering psychopath who has a heart of darkness."

Then Severus Snape, greasy git of Hogwarts did something that not even Albus had seen him do. He wept, it didn't matter to him that there were three students in the room; the only thing that mattered was that she had gone. His Hermione had left him.

"You got that right." The man surrounded by darkness didn't reply to the boy who thought the world bowed down before him, but had he looked at the Headmasters face he would have pre-empted what was about to happen. The normally cheerful old man looked ready to explode, his face had turned red, and his eyes were ablaze with barely concealed fury.

"Harry Potter! Get out of this office; I will meet you in the Entrance Hall in five minutes."

But the boy did not care. His face darkened and his hands felt around for a wand which he did not possess. Albus was very grateful in that moment that he had had the foresight not to teach the boy Wandless magic.

"I won't be here in five minutes _Sir," _he sneered, "For I will never again set foot in this wretched castle once I am gone ... you all should be at my feet thanking me for what I have done, what I have sacrificed for you war. But no, you seem to grovel around that mans" he pointed to Severus, "woes instead. You were right about what Hermione sees you as; it is how the rest of the Wizarding world sees you. I hope you rot in hell!"

Had the man in black not been so distraught he would have hexed the boy into next Sunday but he was grieving at the loss of his love. He hung his head in shame, believing the words that boy had uttered. But the rest of them, the rest of them were filled with fury at the boy's words. Never had they seen him act like this and while they all knew of the responsibility that he had had to bear, they never thought something like this would happen. They had not thought that the part of Voldemort's soul which had been transferred to him when he was just a baby had affected him a great deal, apart from being able to see into his mind. But what if Voldemort had been repressing this ... this anger at the world around him, making the boy someone he was obviously not.

Albus Dumbledore was a kind man, many would say too kind. But after today that would change. Today he would stand up for the man that was in no condition to do anything other than breath. Today he would protect the man he thought of as a son. Not this _boy_ in front of him.

"Never have I been so ashamed of a pupil in my tenure at Hogwarts. I never should have put so put so much responsibility on your shoulders and for that I am sorry but what just said is inexcusable. I feel truly sorry for you Harry."

"Whatever."

With that, Harry Potter left the four remaining occupants of the room in a state of shock.

~.~

After she had left the Headmasters office, she had only very nearly made it outside. She had thought of going to the girls loo's but class was about to break up and someone seeing the Head Girls puking into a toilet would start the rumour mill. Not something that she needed right now.

And what would Severus make of this? It was the second time she had walked out on him. While to Hermione why she had done it made perfect sense, to the man who was probably still sitting in the Headmasters office, it must have felt as if he had been betrayed, again.

The fresh air felt good on her face, and once her stomach had settled down she felt a little better, that was until her chest hurt so much that she thought that she was going to die from the sheer intensity of the pain.

Severus.

Hermione had a crazy thought. _What if she transfigured into her animagus form until everything had subsided? _She couldn't take the pain any longer; she was too weak from her recent near death experience to deal with an abundance of pain all over again. She knew that she had read somewhere that victims of the Cruciatus curse felt ten times better once they had transformed, so she wondered it the same was true for her. It wouldn't do anyone any good if she had to crawl back up to the Headmasters office, after all, why crawl when she could run up there on four legs instead?

With concentration she didn't know she possessed she felt her body changing, moulding into her other form.

~.~

Harry was fuming.

"How dare they take _his_ side over mine, I'm their friend. It's not fair!"

He did not stop until he reached the Entrance Hall to the greatly esteemed school, which was when he saw a small cat. His face automatically softened at the sight of her and he guessed she was only a kitten.

"Well hello there little one, I don't suppose you belong to anyone, do you?"

The kitten looked at him, its head tilted to the side.

"No, well let me take you home then. I could use some company."

He scooped up the little cat and held her under the crook of his arm.

Life was just about to get interesting.


	9. Drunken Ramblings

**Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, and various other publishers. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.**

* * *

_Previously:_

_Harry was fuming._

_"How dare they take his side over mine, I'm their friend. It's not fair!"_

_He did not stop until he reached the Entrance Hall to the greatly esteemed school, which was when he saw a small cat. His face automatically softened at the sight of her and he guessed she was only a kitten._

_"Well hello there little one, I don't suppose you belong to anyone, do you?"_

_The kitten looked at him, its head tilted to the side._

_"No, well let me take you home then. I could use some company."_

_He scooped up the little cat and held her under the crook of his arm._

_Life was just about to get interesting._

Not long after Harry had left, Severus made his way back down to his chambers. Once he had reached his rooms, he threw himself down onto his chair and summoned the bottle of Fire whisky that he kept for emergencies. He didn't like resorting to the bottle, but today had been one hell of a day. He had already asked himself why, but then that led to the 'what ifs' and then he summarised that it was his entire fault. And even if he were, a person who had an objective view of the whole situation it would make sense that it was his fault; had Hermione not got involved with him then they would never be in this situation, but he still wished that she would come back, even if it was to yell at him. He missed her already.

During the time that she was held 'hostage' in Harry's arms Hermione had decided on a few things. The first one was that she did not like being carried, and the second one was that Harry had done something that warranted being expelled from Hogwarts, that she had found out by his constant mumbling.

"Right Little One." That's what he had decided to call her, not very inventive she thought, but at least it was better than 'cat'. "I am going to apparate us now. You won't like it but I have no other choice but to do so if we want to get back by nightfall."

Had she been in her human form she would have been fine with apparating but she was not and she had the scars to prove the fact that cats did not like apparating.

With a 'pop', they disappeared from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

**Meanwhile, back up in Dumbledore's office. **

"Albus, what are we to do, we don't know where the boy has gone and Miss Granger Albus! The poor girl ran right out of here."

The Scottish woman had started to pace as soon as Severus had left and had yet to stop. She was going to leave an imprint on the stone floors as she was pacing so much, he mused, but made no attempt to try to stop her.

"Do you know _why_ she ran Minerva?"

"I must admit that I don't Albus, it's not like her to be scared, but I'm not sure why she ran."

"She ran, Minerva, because she had something I believe the Muggles call a panic attack."

At that, Minerva slowed her pacing and looked up at the Headmaster, the confusion evident upon her face.

"A panic attack ... I have heard of them, only in passing of course but it still doesn't explain why she had one."

"My dear, think about it. Someone had just tried to kill her, she found out that the maker of said potion was Severus and now her best friend has run off – not that she knows that of course. The gravity of the situation just seemed to hit her."

The deputy headmistress looked pensive for a moment before agreeing with her mentor.

"I suppose she just needs some time, but I fear that time is something that Severus cannot afford at the moment. He is too fragile Minnie the war took its toll in him, so much so that I fear he will never recover."

They were both silent, both reflecting on the event that had only happened half an hour ago. There was something bugging him, something that he couldn't quite put his finger on but it was something nevertheless.

"I'm going to see him Minnie, Severus always turns to drink, and this time I'm sure that he could clear his entire stock out."

"Go Albus, I will be here when you get back, we need to talk."

He looked at her, what did they need to talk about?

Albus strode over to the fireplace, threw some powder in, and poked his head through.

"Severus, are you there? I'm coming through."

The sight that met the Headmaster upon entering the potions master chambers was not a pleasant one; the man in question was limply hanging over the side of his chair, a bottle in the one hand, tumbler in the other. The whole room reeked of fire whisky and his heart went out to the lad.

"My dear boy, what have you done to yourself?"

The man in the chair awoke, the disorientation was evident upon his face, and he looked around his room and sneered at the unwelcome presence.

"Headmaster, what are _you_ doing here?"

"You're drunk Severus, god knows how in such a small amount of time, but you're drunk. You know that you are no good to anybody drunk."

Albus started to fumble around his pockets for something, but looked crestfallen when he could not.

"Eating on an empty stomach does wonders for the soul Albus ... that's if I even have one." He mumbled, surprisingly loquacious in his state of drunkenness.

"Of course you have one my dear boy, now where do you keep your sober-up potions?"

"I have no wish to be sober Albus, or have you forgotten: Hermione left me."

"This is why I do not wish for you to be drunk while we have this conversation. Hermione did not leave you Severus; she just had a panic attack."

Even though he was drunk, he could see the cogs turning in the younger man's head.

"Second shelf on the right hand side when you enter," he grudgingly admitted.

While the old man went to get the potion, Severus hung his head. She had had a panic attack, he thought. That made sense. If that was so then she did not hate him.

"Drink up, Severus."

He had not even heard the Headmaster enter the room, and that fact alone was never a good sign. His days as a spy had taught him to be always alert, and ready for anything. Albus was right; he was no good drunk.

Severus drank the potion without complaint and grudgingly admitted that it was time to stop being a man ruled by his emotions, and start becoming the spy that everyone used to hate.

"So, do you know where she is now?"

"I'm sure she has just gone out to get some fresh air Severus and will be back soon, so not to worry my boy."

"Very well then." Severus wanted to get up, wanted to run and find her but if anyone understood her need for space and time, it was he. "What is going to happen in the matter of the Eternus Dormio?"

Once they had arrived at 'Harry's Hideout' and settled themselves onto one of the rickety wooden chairs, Harry began to rant.

"I don't hate them you know; I just needed to feel something other than numbness from the war. They expected so much of me, then what? Then they left me. They left me when I needed them the most."

He got up and started to pace.

"How can they not see it? Voldemort had so much anger in him and now I have that anger, he gave it to me Little One. That was his parting gift. He hoped that the symbol for all that's good would turn to the dark side. And sometimes, sometimes it just takes over me, like what happened in the office. I was so mean, especially to Severus, and the slightly ironic thing is that I like him now. The anger manifests itself and normally I'm able to keep it at bay but this week has been bad, very bad. It got so bad that I wanted to kill him this week."

She looked up at him in confusion. It was too much for her little cat brain to comprehend.

"What?" he said when he saw her staring at him, head tilted to the side.

"You're hungry? I think I have some milk somewhere."

He disappeared from her sight, and she could hear him rummaging around in the kitchen.

In her cat form, she found herself feeling sorry for him, though she had no idea what had happened. But, there was one thing she did know: this was the second time that she had walked out on Severus; she liked to think that she knew him well, so she knew that he would not take this well at all.

Being in her cat form her feline instincts had started to rule her actions. She had read once somewhere that if someone spent too long in their Animagus form in one go then the animal that they changed into would start to take over their human minds. When she first read it she thought that it made sense really, Sirius always seemed more alert and she could have sworn that his ears used to twitch constantly, but no matter how much she understood it, here in her cat form she started to wonder just how long she would be trapped.


	10. You're Crying

**Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, and various other publishers. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.**

**AN: I am a horrible FanFic author. It's been nearly a year since I've updated this story. I've no excuse really; I've managed to update other fics more regularly than I have this one. So, I apologise, profusely, and hope that this chapter make up for the wait. I've also had this chapter and the re-edits ready to go up for two weeks! But, the type 2 error has kept me from posting. **

**I've also changed a few details and re-written/polished up all of the chapters, though they are nowhere near perfect. The old version of Detentions was rather bad for grammar and general consistency in its earlier chapters. **

* * *

_Previously:_

_In her cat form, she found herself feeling sorry for him, though she had no idea what had happened. But, there was one thing she did know: this was the second time that she had walked out on Severus; she liked to think that she knew him well, so she knew that he would not take this well at all._

_Being in her cat form her feline instincts had started to rule her actions. She had read once somewhere that if someone spent too long in their Animagus form in one go then the animal that they changed into would start to take over their human minds. When she first read it she thought that it made sense really, Sirius always seemed more alert and she could have sworn that his ears used to twitch constantly, but no matter how much she understood it, here in her cat form she started to wonder just how long she would be trapped._

~.~

_"Very well then." Severus wanted to get up, wanted to run and find her but if anyone understood her need for space and time, it was he. "What is going to happen in the matter of the __Eternus Dormio__?"_

"I don't know."

They were sat in the acrid smelling room; Albus perched on top of the chair opposite to Severus.

"What do you mean you don't know Severus? It's your potion after all."

"Yes, I'm very aware of that Albus," he snapped, then instantly regretted it as he saw the Headmaster's face fall. "What I meant to say was, I will go and have a look at the bottle and see if anyone has tampered with it." Not that they would have, he mused, his security wards had not been broken; the bottle would be fine, and he would be back to square one.

As soon as he got up from his chair, he fell back into it, clawing at his chest.

"My dear boy, whatever is the matter?" Albus asked, slightly stunned at his behaviour.

"I feel as though I've just been hit with a very strong Reducto," he said, after the initial wave of pain had passed.

"Reducto? But, that would mean-"

"Hermione," Severus breathed.

Without waiting for the Headmaster to say another word, he tore out of his chambers, leaving them unwarded, a sign of just how desperate he was. He raced towards the Entrance Hall, not caring that there were students out from lessons; some even had the indecency to call his name. He didn't care. Hermione was the only thought that occupied his mind. The only person who mattered to him, the only person he truly loved.

When he got to the Entrance Hall, he saw no one. Not even Peeves dared to cross him in his foul temper.

"Where is she?" he said to himself. "She couldn't have gone _that_ far."

Severus started to make his way towards the Black Lake, mindful of the fact that the squid hadn't been fed in a week, when he felt his chest constrict painfully.

"Hermione," he whispered.

He felt a tear make its way down his face, but he didn't move to brush it away. He let it slide down his face, and tasted its saltiness when he flicked his tongue out to catch it.

"_You're crying."_

"_Very well observed, Severus." _

"_Why?" _

_They were curled up in bed, safe in each other's arms when he felt, rather than saw - as she was spooned against his chest, a tear drip onto his arm. _

"_It's stupid."_

"_It can't be stupid if you're crying Hermione." _

_With little effort on his part, he managed to turn her around in his arms, so she was facing his chest. _

"_Tell me?"_

_He lifted his hand towards her face and smoothed down the hair which clouded her from his view. The edge of his middle finger caught one of the tears and he brought it to his mouth, and savoured the saltiness of her tears, tears she shed for an unknown reason. _

"_Did you enjoy that?" she asked, her eyes transfixed to his mouth. _

_His response was lost in his throat as she attacked his mouth with a fervour usually attributed to a wild cat. _

_She never did tell him why he was crying. _

He was brought out of his revere by Albus, but as soon as he heard the words 'Harry Potter has left Hogwarts' he wished that he could lose himself in his memories again.

"I don't see-"

"Hermione's gone too Severus, think about it."

"You think Harry Potter took Hermione?"

"Yes."

"Are you _mad_?"

"No, just senile."

But Albus' joke was lost on Severus; his response had left his mind whirring. If Potter had taken Hermione then who knows where they would be? Heaven's knows the boy was rash at the best of time and if he had taken her-

"Severus? I think it may be best to call your mother."

Well there was something you didn't hear every day, Severus mused.

"My mother?"

"Yes, Severus, you know the woman who gave birth to you?"

"I know who my mother is Albus," he snapped, his patience wearing thin.

"Then you know she's one of the best at tracking lost wizards and witches."

Severus paused and at a moment of deliberation said, "Go on."

"Severus, I'm not trying to force your hand at a family reunion-"

"Could have fooled me," he grumbled, running an agitated hand through his hair.

"-but I think our best bet at finding Hermione is your mother, Severus."

There, he had said it. Albus had voiced the pink elephant in the grounds.

"Call her," he groused, "but don't expect me to be civil towards her."

"I wouldn't dream of it Severus, are you coming?"

"No, I'll be ten minutes Albus."

"Very well then, I'll see you inside, in ten minutes."

As soon as Albus was out of sight, Severus let out a sigh; he couldn't do this. It was all too much for him to handle; first Hermione nearly dies, and then she knows he is the one who brewed the potion that nearly killed her, and then she goes missing, and now his mother is coming to track her down. It was too surreal. How could so much happen in one day?

~.~

"Here you go Little One, some nice cold milk."

Hermione titled her head to the side; milk wasn't going to fill her up, but she lowered her heard and lapped at it anyway.

"I've got to go out soon; I've got to see a man about a dog."

At the word 'dog', Hermione stopped drinking her milk and looked at Harry, her ears perked up, and her tail flicked dangerously.

As if sensing the change in her, Harry added, "Not a real dog ... it's just an expression. Hermione would get it."

Seeing that this seemed to calm her, he bent down to give her a pat on her head, before leaving the room.

"If only you knew Harry," she whispered in the safety of her mind, "if only you knew."

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**A huge thank you for all the reviews so far, they really do help me to write. :) **


	11. A Little Heart And A Lot Of Pain

***Shimmies out from behind the computer screen* Hello! Yes, it's been over a year, hurtling along towards two, and yes, I know I've been promising new chapters and I haven't been fulfilling the promises – a bit like the British Government – buuut, look, a new chapter! And I have the second one half written, I promise. This would have been up sooner, however, my laptop (the brand new one I got less than a year ago) decided that it no longer wanted to work for me and broke three times in two months, then gave up and didn't turn on at all. Sooo, I have a new laptop, a new time table (I'm at Uni now!) and a new writing place. I hope all of you are well. :)**

**Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, and various other publishers. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.**

* * *

_Previously_

_"-but I think our best bet at finding Hermione is your mother, Severus."_

_There, he had said it. Albus had voiced the pink elephant in the grounds._

_"Call her," he groused, "but don't expect me to be civil towards her."_

_"I wouldn't dream of it, Severus, are you coming?"_

_"No, I'll be ten minutes, Albus."_

_"Very well then, I'll see you inside, in ten minutes."_

_As soon as Albus was out of sight, Severus let out a sigh; he couldn't do this. It was all too much for him to handle; first Hermione nearly dies, and then she knows he is the one who brewed the potion that nearly killed her, and then she goes missing, and now his mother is coming to track her down. It was too surreal. How could so much happen in one day?_

oOo

Though it took a further ten minutes for Severus to arrive back in Albus' office, no word of his tardiness was mention when he did arrive as Albus could understand his hesitation; Selina Snape was an imposing woman.

"All set, my boy?"

Severus shot him a withering look, "Why don't we Floo your mother and see how you feel?" he muttered.

"It won't be that bad-"

"Have you even met my mother, Albus? People breathe a sigh of relief when she's left the room; the Minister is even scared of her!"

"Nonsense, I'm sure she's a very kind, loving person-" Severus scoffed at his words; Albus Dumbledore knew exactly what his mother was like, but he said nothing further.

"I guess the honour of calling her falls to me, does it?" His question was met with no answer.

As Albus opened the Floo connection, Severus seethed internally; his mother knew nothing of his engagement. Not one word of Hermione in regard to a romantic prospect had ever passed his lips when in the company of his mother. And, at the thought of Hermione, the pain in his chest flared to life again. This time the pain seemed to feel as though his chest was burning, as though he had pressed himself against a hot stove.

The burning worried him; he didn't know whether the burning symbolised emotional pain … or physical pain. The emotional pain he could handle; after all, when was he not the cause of her emotional pain? But, if she was hurt, if she had been hurt by someone else - by Potter - he didn't know if he could take it … the knowledge that because he hadn't observed her; hadn't taken a few seconds to look at her, he had caused her pain; raw, lasting, physical pain, that knowledge would kill him. His contemplations over Hermione's state were cut short when he heard his mother in the background.

"Selina! How nice of you to accept this call-"

"What is it, Albus? I'm a busy woman," she snapped.

"Could you spare a minute of your time; it's to do with Severus."

There was a pause on the other end of the fireplace, and Severus could vaguely hear his mother yelling at some poor sod about the 'art of wand strokes'.

"Very well. I shall meet you at the school entrance in six minutes. I expect you both to be there to greet me."

The Floo shut with a snap and both men turned to look at each other. Albus was the first to voice his thoughts, "That went surprisingly well."

"Yes, congratulations, you've managed to guilt trip mother into visiting the school; you're a regular magician."

The annoying glint that Severus usually associated with Lemon Drops shined in Albus' eyes, "That I am, my boy! Now, to the gates!"

oOo

As soon as Harry had left, Hermione had tried to escape. And 'tried' was the key word in that sentence; every attempt was met with failure – her most spectacular one had been when she had the bright idea to climb up to the windowsill, above the stove, and attempted to break through the glass. Needless to say that plan had backfired and she now had a signed patch of hair on her chest that still smarted when she moved suddenly. It had taken a good hour for most of the pain to go, and she did not wish to make it worse, so she had butted the handle of the tap until the water turned on and made herself a little pool of water to lie in an attempt to lessen the pain.

It was time to face the facts; Hermione Granger was stuck in her cat form, without a way to escape.

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**Short, but there will be a new chapter up tomorrowish hopefully. **


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